Scoop

A few minutes before taking off on the 5-kilometer EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women in L.A. May 12, Sheryl Crow told Scoop she felt "very, very lucky." She meant to be a survivor; a year after her breast cancer diagnosis—followed by surgery and radiation—Crow, 45, is cancer-free. But the Grammy winner is counting other blessings too. On May 11, Crow announced that she had adopted a 2-week-old boy whom she named Wyatt (after her father) Steven (for her younger brother). At home in L.A., mother and son are, she said, "enjoying some very private family time." One person who can offer parenting tips? Former fiancé and father of three Lance Armstrong. "I couldn't be happier for her," the cycling champ tells PEOPLE. "I know she'll be an amazing mother."

One perk of dating Lindsay Lohan? Frequent-flyer miles. Her new British beau, Calum Best, 26—a former Calvin Klein model, U.K. reality-TV star and an ex of Kimberly Stewart's—jetted in from London for the May 8 premiere of her film Georgia Rules. After several PDA-filled days in Manhattan (including a 30-second smooch at a Tenjune party for Nylon magazine May 9), they flew down to the Bahamas for the opening of the Cove Atlantis on Paradise Island. "There was a lot of kissing and hand holding," an onlooker says of the couple. So what does Lohan see in Best (son of the late British soccer star—and notorious playboy—George Best)? It's simple, she told Scoop May 14 at the Lucky magazine gift lounge in N.Y.C.: "He's a nice guy." Still, pals aren't betting on long-term love. Says one: "She's just having a fling."

"You get everything settled in your professional life," Kate Walsh recently told PEOPLE, "then you're ready to rock out the love life." Rock out, indeed. The star, 39 (now getting her own spinoff, Private Practice), flashed her Neil Lane jubilee-cut diamond to Scoop May 15 and declared, "I'm engaged!" She added that her beau, Alex Young, a 20th Century Fox exec, popped the question last week in San Francisco. So what makes her fiancé so special? "Oh, everything," she gushed at the ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY party at the Box in N.Y.C. "He's the most amazing man I've ever met."

Katie
THE CATERER

Katie Holmes, snack queen? The actress, 28, has been bringing treats to the Shreveport, La., set of her film Mad Money every Friday. "We got cupcakes today," says one castmate, who noshed on the confections from local sweet spot Julie Anne's Bakery. "They were good too!" Her previous picks? Ice cream cones from Cold Stone Creamery and 100 frozen deep dish pies flown in from Gino's East pizzeria in Chicago and baked at a local shop. As for Holmes, marvels one crew member, "I don't know how she stays so thin."

Have her prayers been answered? Paris Hilton (left, leaving church May 13) may only serve hours of her 45-day sentence for violating probation, L.A. Sheriff's rep Steve Whitmore told Scoop May 15. "She could be processed [into jail] and processed out hours later—that's possible," he said. "It would mainly be due to jail overcrowding." (Hilton's rep had no comment.) Adds Whitmore, "We will treat [Hilton] as we would any other."

Scarlett & Ryan
GOING STRONG

They've gone underground since their date-nights in New York City last month, but it seems Scarlett Johansson, 22, and Ryan Reynolds, 30, are still quite an item. The two were spotted slipping into the Damnwells show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood May 14. "They were talking and had their hands all over each other," says one concert-goer. "Totally sweet." After the show, the two left hand in hand—but not before Reynolds made sure the coast was clear of photographers.

Reality Roundup

Dancing with the Stars

GOODBYE

9-0-2-1-GO
Sorry Cheryl, no three-peat for you. Burke's partner Ian Ziering, 43, was voted off May 15—but not before earning his first ever perfect score. "I [still] feel like a winner," he told PEOPLE. "Cheryl convinced me to shimmy—and now I can't stop."

BOWLING BUDDIES

They steamed up the dance floor with their cha-cha to "Push It," but is there chemistry off-camera between Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough? "We're friends," Hough recently told Scoop. "We just like being around each other." That was obvious May 14, when she joined Ohno and the Dancing crew at Lucky Strike Lanes to celebrate his 25th birthday.

American IdolScoop Asks: Who Will Win?

Ryan Seacrest
"Blake had one of his toughest weeks, which may work to his advantage. [People] vote for the underdog."

Kelly Clarkson"I think Jordin will probably win. They're all different, but I just like her."

Adam Carolla
"I'll go with Melinda Doolittle. I think she's got the best pipes out of the group."

When Jordin Sparks sang "She Works Hard for the Money," she had to work even harder for the judges' attention—they talked throughout her performance.... May 15 was the last night in the American Idol studio. (Now it's on to L.A.'s Kodak Theatre.) After the show, the judges lingered on-set for a group hug.

Q & A

RAZZLE DAZZLE

After his near-win on Dancing with the Stars, Joey Lawrence makes his Broadway debut in Chicago

He may have lost on Dancing with the Stars, but Joey Lawrence, 31 (best known to '90s sitcom fans as Blossom's brother), continues to show off his smooth moves as Chicago lawyer Billy Flynn. He took a brief intermission with PEOPLE's Molly Lopez.

How'd opening night go?
I had nine days to learn 57 pages of dialogue, but it went well. They had wanted me to do the show for a while, but I'm booked after July, and there was this six-week window [open]. It was crazy! Now I'm starting to get my sea legs.

Any preshow rituals?
No, man. I don't light candles. I say a little prayer. Just, "God, get me through this."

After eight shows a week, how do you spend your one day off?
Sitting down.

Is your 1-year-old daughter Charli (with wife Chandie) keeping homelife busy?
We play with her Disney Princess dolls: Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White and Belle. She plays with them like a big girl, like a 3-year-old.

Next up, the DWTS summer tour. You're working nonstop.
My plan [has always been] to get the kind of career I want from age 30 to 60. Bruce Willis didn't do Die Hard until he was in his 30s. That's what you pray for: that your hard work pays off.

OOPS, I TORE THEM AGAIN
BRITNEY SPEARS has been working hard to get back her pre-baby body at the Millennium Dance Complex. Want proof? Check out her favorite fishnets, which get more tattered every day. Scoop counts the hosiery's holes:
0
April 15
1
April 23
3
April 26
9
May 3
(Same pair, inside out!)
14
May 8
18
May 9

ON THE BLOCK

50 CENT'S 53-ROOM MANSION
PRICE: $18.5 million
PLACE: Farmington, Conn.
Who needs da club with a home like this? 50 Cent, 31, is selling his 17-acre estate—complete with a home gym, movie theater and a 40-person hot tub—formerly owned by Mike Tyson. (One holdover from the Tyson days? The "entertainment room" with a deejay booth and stripper poles.) The 19-bedroom, 37-bath megamansion is "one of a kind," says 50's Realtor Steve Scott of Keller Williams.